12 Trend Harvesting Sites You Should Know

from Trendwatching.com

I had worked in marketing for almost a decade before I worked at a company with a vision and passion so compelling, so insightful, that it changed the way I saw marketing and communications forever. I worked for London-based Michaelides & Bednash, the first company to be named ‘Media Agency of the Year’ by both Campaign and Media Week in the same year; and built a track record of award-winning, innovative communications ideas for a wide range of clients from Channel4 to Unilever. Today, the work they pioneered in fusing strategy with ideas is a given.

One of the areas that had a great impact on how I perceive communications was in the area of trend hunting and harvesting. We, all the strategists, were sent out to hunt, experience, buy, observe and report on current and future trends. We subscribed to magazines, visited museums, watched films, listened to music, observed fashion, talked, shared, argued and imbibed drinks, food, knowledge and culture until learning from all of it became second nature as we experienced our everyday lives. Then we studied it. Why was something a trend? What was the behavior, the emotion that caused it to be so?

Knowing which trends will transcend the popular to become phenomenons, not only in fashion, music and entertainment, but in thought, economy and enterprise, among many others, is what will set you and your business apart from the pack. Tapping into a trend, and knowing WHY that trend is important to your audience means that you will not be a blink on the periphery of pop culture’s eye, but will beat at the heart of culture, becoming a part of it.

Alongside the outgrowth of trend spotting companies, there are also sites that don’t say they are trend hunters, but uncover the cool happening all around us every day. It’s these sites that soon reveal patterns to the trend hunting networks out there. Here are a few of my favorites that you should add to your arsenal:

Flavorpill — Currently in seven cities worldwide (mine is set to my former hometown, Brooklyn), it’s a culture guide for events and news.

Flavorwire — From the Flavorpill team comes “Cultural News and Critique” covering art, books, film and more.

Daily Candy — “a handpicked selection of all that’s fun, fashionable, food related, and culturally stimulating in the city you’re fixated on (and all over the Web).”

Thrillist — the manly version of Daily Candy. it “finds the best of what’s new in your ‘hood and on the web.”

Urban Daddy — another manly daily email devoted to “keeping you in the know.”

Urban Baby — With a focus on New York or San Francisco, it’s a great way for urban parents to stay connected to each other and local happenings in those cities. Reveals trends in clothing, entertainment, parenting and more.